Life in Wolverton’s Railway Works with Philip Marsh

In this new talk looking at the surprisingly wide range of employment inside Wolverton Works from 1838 to the present day, Philip Marsh will look over the famous Stratford Road wall into history and the past roles in the Works. These ranged from building and fitting out Royal Trains to making coffin carriers to repairing World War 2 bombers and making office furniture.

What was it like in Health and Safety terms? How secure was your job? How were apprentices treated at the end of their apprenticeship?

An amazing variety of activities were carried out over the years and Philip will explain why Wolverton workers could gain employment across the World in times of recession when jobs were lost.

These varying roles will be richly illustrated from his extensive Wolverton archive and expect a few Royal surprises from a new project. In addition to Victorian images, There will also be a glimpse of activities only known to a few people alive today such as how wages’ cash was moved from the bank into the Works’ cash office.

Whose job was it to make the Royal Train beds. Why was the Works’ laundry a dangerous place to work in?  

And why were many garden sheds and even a pigsty made in The Works?